Sexually transmitted diseases: risks, transmission, and laboratory diagnostic update

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health problem of the 1990s. In the pre-antibiotic era, these infections were often fatal. The 1960s saw an alteration in public attitudes toward sexual practices and a resultant increase in the incidence of STDs. Today, despite increased efforts in health education and the encouragement of "safe sex" practices, the incidence of STDs continues to rise. Infection control is complicated by the frequent lack of symptoms of many STDs. This article will discuss only the most common STDs in the United States. These include those caused by the organisms Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Herpes simplex virus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Treponema pallidum, Haemophilus ducreyi, and Hepatitis B virus.